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Mission Hill Winery -Through The Years
Mission Hill Winery Westbank, BC)
The Mission Hill Winery, located in Westbank, BC began as a small family-owned winery in 1981. UFG first started servicing the winery in 1995, updating the single 48” diameter sand filter which was located in the old electrical room. In 1997 it was decided to build a new filtration room adjacent to the electrical room. (This was a relief as we shuddered when we serviced the sand filter because of the water pipes located beside high voltage panels). The system was also plagued continuously with low water pressure.
In 1997 a bank of three, fiberglass, multi-media filters with timer controlled automatic valves was installed and a high-pressure booster pump system was designed and commissioned by UFG. The system was installed using a local contractor, Combined Mechanical. This system also incorporated a single,epoxy-lined steel filter vessel containing Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) for the removal of chlorine.
Several years later a bank of high flow SS cartridge filters was installed to remove particulate matter to 1-micron particle size. A second steel GAC unit was installed to handle the increased flow required by the winery production operations. This equipment continued to service the Production plant in the winery for almost twenty years.
The winery was acquired by the Mark Anthony Group in the late 1990’s and a major development was undertaken over the next five years to create a world class winery with a terrace restaurant, bell tower, enhanced wine storage, wine boutique, a barrel warehouse and increased production facilities. UFG is proud to have been chosen as the firm to provide all the water filtration upgrades throughout the many years that this facility has been in operation and development.
The next phase of water filtration was to design the water filtration system for the barrel warehouse. The original design included a bank of three multi-media filters in the water filtration room, followed by a bank of high flow SS cartridge filters to remove particulate matter to 1-micron. The media filters utilized the same type of controller that was utilized in the main production facility. A bank of two fiberglass GAC units was added in 2009 to another area of the barrel warehouse to ensure removal of all traces of chlorine from the water used to flush the oak barrels.
In 2018 it was decided by the management team at Mark Anthony Group that all the water filtration equipment in both the production plant and the barrel warehouse should be brought up to modern standards using the latest technology for control logic and filtration performance. UFG was proud to have been chosen again by the Mark Anthony group to be a part of this upgrade.
The upgrades were completed in stages as noted below:
Main Production Plant
In 2018, a bank of three (3) 36” diameter GAC units was installed to replace the existing epoxy-lined, steel GAC units. This allowed for a significant increase in flow capacity. The system also incorporates a Clack System Controller which allows filters to be set in Progressive Flow mode. This controller keeps one unit in service and adds additional units as flow through the system increases.
Triplex GAC System with system Controller in Main Production Plant
In early 2019, a bank of three (3) 36” diameter media filters were installed to replace the existing multi-media filters, which had been in service since 1997. This allowed for a significant increase in flow capacity as well as ensuring filtration levels to 1-micron using Filter AG Plus filter media. The system also incorporates a Clack System Controller which allows filters to be set in Progressive Flow mode. This controller keeps one unit in service and adds additional units as flow through the system increases.
Triplex Filter AG Plus Media System in Main Production facility
A duplex, twin alternating water softening system was installed in the main production plant to soften the water feeding the hot water used in the bottle washing system. This system ensures the removal of any calcium and magnesium hardness which precipitates from the hardness in the water supply.
Twin Alternating Water Softening System for Hot Water Supply
At that time, a UV disinfection system was designed and fabricated by UFG. This skid-mounted UV system was built in our facility and shipped to site for installation by Combined Mechanical. This ensures complete disinfection of the water supply to destroy any bacteria and viruses.
Old Media Filtration System in Barrel Warehouse
In early 2020, a bank of three (3) 36” diameter media filters were installed to replace the existing multi-media filters, which had been in service since 1997. This allowed for a significant increase in flow capacity as well as ensuring filtration levels to 1-micron using Filter AG Plus filter media. The system also incorporates a Clack System Controller which allows filters to be set in Progressive Flow mode. This controller keeps one unit in service and adds additional units as flow through the system increases.
Photo of Triplex GAC System in Barrel Warehouse
In early 2021, a third 36” diameter GAC unit was installed to the GAC system. All the control valves were changed to the latest series of WS controls.This change allowed for a significant increase in flow capacity. The system also incorporates a Clack System Controller which allows filters to be set in Progressive Flow mode. This controller keeps one unit in service and adds additional units as flow through the system increases.
Photo of New Aquionics UV System in Barrel Warehouse Filtration Room
At that time, an Aquionics UV disinfection system was designed and fabricated by UFG. This skid-mounted SS UV system was built in our facility and shipped to site for installation by Combined Mechanical. This UV system ensures complete disinfection of the water supply to destroy any bacteria and viruses.
As of June 2021, all the water filtration equipment in the Main Production Plant and the Barrel Warehouse at the Mission Hill Winery has been upgraded and is in full operation.